Plant

Drip irrigation in New Mexico vineyard, 2002 (Photo credit: Wikipedia) During the long hot days of summer irrigate as needed to provide the equivalent of 1” of rain per week (enough water to saturate the soil to 1 foot deep). Irrigation is especially valuable for newly planted trees (1-2 years) whose root systems are not fully established deep into...

Malus sylvestris at Vosseslag - De Haan, Belgium (Photo credit: Wikipedia) Control weeds and keep grass short around bushes and trees and among recently planted ground covers. Maintain a minimum 3’ diameter circle for each tree or shrub that is free of competing weeds. If there are a lot of weeds coming up in your new groundcover planting, lay...

English: A screen planting of bamboo, used to hide a roadway (Photo credit: Wikipedia) First we have to determine why. Sometimes it is in the nature of the plant not to grow vigorously in the first year, such as Monkey Puzzle or Bamboo. More often the root system is not growing and establishing properly. There can be several reasons...

(Photo credit: Wikipedia) Water and fertilize regularly to keep up with the needs of actively growing plants. Allow citrus to dry out somewhat between each watering, but keep figs and bamboo evenly moist. If a plant regularly wilts in the afternoon but the container always seems to have enough moisture in it move the container so it is protected...

The goal is to keep the bare root plants cool and dormant, and protect the roots from freezing or drying out. You can generally hold the plants up to two weeks in the bags they arrived in, in a cool (35-45º F) location. Check the bags for moisture a couple times, the shredded paper around the roots should be moist...

PLANTING: So long as the ground is not under water or water-logged, frozen, or covered with snow, and the weather is above freezing when you plant, you can plant dormant potted or bare root plants. For optimal results planting bare root plants, day time temperatures should be below the mid-60's for several weeks following planting (to give roots time to establish before...

Select a fertilizer that is appropriate for the plant you are growing to get optimal performance in the container. Use citrus fertilizer for citrus plants, and blueberry/rhododendron fertilizer for vacciniums (blueberry, huckleberry, lingonberry and cranberry). For Bananas, encourage lots of vigorous growth initially with a foliage supportive formula that has a high nitrogen content, then switch to a formula that...

Frost on plants on a very cold winter morning. (Photo credit: Wikipedia) Most of the plants we ship are dormant from cold storage. However some are potted and are growing. The following is how to handle those leafed out plants. Sometimes you might receive non-dormant plants that would normally be dormant and ready to plant outside. Our hardy plant...

Raspberries. (Photo credit: Wikipedia) Raspberries are typically grown in a two foot wide row. Prepare the soil for planting by first clearing weeds in a 3-4’ wide strip the length you are planning to plant. Put a 3-4” thick layer of composted manure (cow, steer, or other ruminants, not chicken) or leaf mold on the surface of the row...